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I’ve been DYING to share this with you for so long now! We’ve been working on it for a couple of weeks, and it’s FINALLY finished! Yes, my friends, you too, can take a couple of old, dated bedside tables and transform them into an adorable, pint-sized play kitchen for the kiddos! As soon as I found out I was having a girl (all those months ago!), I’ve known I wanted to someday build my daughter a play kitchen of her very own. Obviously, cooking is a huge part of my life, and my love for it has already carried over to Cassidy. She loves to cook! She loves to stir, and stir, and stir, then hold the spoon up to my mouth so I can “taste” her cooking (just delicious, by the way!).

My mom and dad had a couple of old night stands they weren’t using anymore, so I immediately snatched them up and Joel and I (with lots of help from my dad) went to work to build a play kitchen for Cassidy’s first birthday.

Here’s what we started with:

First, we took the drawers out and discarded them. Then, a light sanding, just to take off the gloss and make it easier for the paint to stick. I used plain white, glossy spray paint for this and it worked perfectly.

From there, we attached a couple of pieces of wide trim found in our storage shed to the tops to serve as a backsplash. I used black acrylic craft paint for the burners (just plain old circles- use a salad plate to trace with), and we found the knobs at Home Depot.

We also found some slimmer trim (the kind used for crown molding) and used that to make the oven door (I painted it with a silver metallic spray paint). If you don’t have a miter saw to cut the trim, I’m betting a large picture frame would work for this as well. We got a large piece of plexiglass at Home Depot and cut it to the size we needed, then simply glued it to the back of the door frame. A simple brushed nickel handle finished it off. We attached the oven door using two hinges and a magnet to keep it closed. It was my dad’s idea to put the chains on either side, to keep the door from hitting the ground. My mom let us use the racks that came with her microwave for oven racks. I had some pink paint left over from Cassidy’s nursery, and used that to paint the inside of the oven. I like the retro look it gives!

We found a cheap faucet at Home Depot and used a stainless steel mixing bowl for the sink basin. Joel and my dad cut a hole in the top of the night stand and used liquid nails to glue the bowl into place. Easy peasy! My mom sewed the cute curtain.

I really wanted Cassidy to have working knobs and handles, so I’m glad we went with an actual faucet and not a pretend one. These hot and cold knobs really turn! Attention to detail is the key here! …and when I tell you the faucet was cheap, I mean it! 17 bucks! Can’t beat that!

I just so happen to have an old cabinet my sister had used in her old bathroom a long time ago. I loved how it already had a rack on it for pots and pans! I used shower hooks to hang the cookware on since I didn’t have any actual hooks that fit this bar. Eventually I’ll probably try to find something different, but for now these work just fine. My grandparents bought the set of pots and pans on Amazon for Cassidy’s birthday and I found the heart-shaped measuring cups and spoons at the dollar spot at Target.

Every kitchen needs a pantry and dish storage! My sister bought the cute little play food set at Target (see the refried beans?! How cute!). I found the cupcake art and brightly colored utensil art at Hobby Lobby for 70% off (score!), and hung a $1 pink basket with command hooks on the side of the stove for more play food storage.

And there you have it! A 100% homemade, genuine play kitchen for your little ones! Honestly, it wasn’t that hard (especially since Joel and my dad did all the cutting, drilling, and hammering…), and I’m absolutely THRILLED with the end result! Cassidy is still a bit young to appreciate it fully, but I know she’s going to love it soon!